Thursday, April 21, 2005

SMALLVILLE UPDATE

The WB has released titles and descriptions for the final three episodes of the fourth season of Smallville.

Following is a rundown:

Wednesday, May 4: "Ageless"

Clark (Tom Welling) and Lana (Kristin Kreuk) discover an abandoned baby in the cornfield and take him back to the Kent farm. However, once the baby ages from a newborn to a 7-year-old in a matter of days, Clark and Lana frantically search for a cure for his condition. Meanwhile, Genevieve (guest-star Jane Seymour) orders Lionel (John Glover) to kill Lana.

Wednesday, May 11: "Forever"

Clark must stop the school photographer (guest-star Steven Grayhm) after he sets up a secret simulated high school and begins kidnapping students -- starting with Chloe (Allison Mack) -- to keep the glory days of high school going forever. Lex (Michael Rosenbaum) and Lionel are kidnapped and tortured by the Teagues in an effort to find the crystal. However, after Genevieve realizes Lana has the crystal, she decides to put an end to the hunt once and for all.

Wednesday, May 18: "Commencement"

Clark begins to piece together the reason he was sent to Earth after he has a nightmare that something horrible is going to happen to Smallville and heads to the cave to seek answers from Jor-El. His biological father tells him he must reunite the three crystals immediately or a disaster of epic proportions will befall the planet and even Clark won't be able to stop it. Meanwhile, Lex first helps Lana escape Smallville after the death of Genevieve Teague then takes shocking action to get one of the crystals away from Lionel. Realizing the crystals are connected to Clark, Chloe tries to stop Lex from discovering the truth.

MARVEL COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of Marvel Comics titles arriving in stores on Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

MARVEL COMICS ROUNDUP

Marvel Comics' Excalibur #13 and #14, by Chris Claremont and Aaron Lopresti, will be a House of M prelude.

The issues guest-star Dr. Strange, who is called in by Professor Xavier to deal with the increasingly dangerous, reality-altering madness of Wanda Maximoff.

"Excalibur #13 is the most fun I have had drawing Excalibur yet. Arch Angel kicking butt, old Iron Fist villains, and Dr. Strange; how could you ask for more?" Lopresti said. "Oh, and it just so happens to be the start of the prequel to the House of M."

Excalibur #13 will be on sale on May 11, with Excalibur #14 reaching stores on May 25.

In other Marvel news:

* Young Avengers #4, on sale on May 11. will be part four of the six-part "Sidekicks" by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. The Young Avengers declare war on one of the Avengers' most powerful and terrifying foes -- but first they must defeat his new allies: Captain America and Iron Man It's the Young Avengers versus the old Avengers in a battle for the team's future -- and the kids' survival.

* Marvel Knights Spider-Man #14, written by Reginald Hudlin, is part two of the six-part "Wild Blue Yonder" story. The Daily Bugle's got a new star reporter: Ethan Edwards who's the ace in J. Jonah Jameson's deck, the apple in Betty Brant's eye, and the bane of Peter Parker's existence. Spidey has to deal with a shape-shifting super-villain who'll do anything to feed his nasty habit.

The issue features a cover by Steve McNiven and interior art by Billy Tan.

IMAGE COMICS ROUNDUP

Jim Valentino said he's "re-envisioned ShadowHawk for the 21st Century" with the new ShadowHawk series that premieres in May from Image Comics.

"No longer is he the back-breaker of the early nineties," Valentino said. "This is a coming-of-age story that loses none of the action or drama of the previous series."

ShadowHawk is co-written by Valentino and Jim Keplinger, with art by Carlos Rodriguez and Albert Puig, and colors by J.L. Rio.

ShadowHawk #1, which hits stands on May 4, also features a preview of June's Shadowline title Blacklight #1. Blacklight #1 is plotted by Valentino and scripted by Scott Wherle, with art by newcomers John Toledo and Marc Deering, and colors by Wildstorm veteran Kanila Tripp.

"The story picks up directly after events in ShadowHawk #1," Valentino said. "It's about a young woman that's trapped in a dead-end life and is suddenly granted the power to escape it, if she has the courage."

Although the books are linked by the Shadowline imprint, editor Kristen Simon noted that the books themselves are self-contained.

" Simon also pointed out an interesting aspect of Blacklight's personality. This heroine possesses the ability to fly, which plays havoc with her acrophobia.

* The first six issues of the ongoing Noble Causes are collected into the fourth Nobles trade: Noble Causes: Blood & Water, in stores on July 22.

In the initial story arc from the ongoing series, the Noble family finds itself in the midst of scandal when their friend, Krennick, is suspected of murdering a prostitute who was found dressed up like Zephyr Noble. Meanwhile, half-brothers Rusty and Frost find themselves forced to team up on a mission to outer space, and Gaia begins to notice startling changes in
her husband, Doc.

"The start of our ongoing series marked a 'new beginning' for the Noble family," said writer/creator Jay Faerber. "So I took the opportunity to make sure it was accessible to new readers, while still forging ahead for the benefit of those faithful fans who've been with us from the start. Most books are able to craft 'jumping-on' points because of frequent creative team turnovers, but since I've been writing these characters from the start, it's important to provide frequent entryways into the book, so we don't alienate anyone."

IDW PUBLISHING ROUNDUP

Included are the initial Wynonna Earp mini-series, the follow-up, "Home on the Strange," the short story ³Blood Is The Harvest" from IDW's Tales of Terror and the origin of Wynonna Earp as well as pin-ups and an afterward from creator Beau Smith.

"Wynonna Earp has always been a quirky, head-bustin' mixture of action-adventure, science fiction, and dark humor, too," Smith said. "I really try to twist the neck of classic monsters and the way they have always been portrayed."

"Outwardly, Mary Specter is a fairly typical 17-year-old girl -- a bit sullen and withdrawn, with the weight of the world on her shoulders. But with Mary, this may very well actually be the case. Trained to be a lucid dreamer, she enters the frightful dreams of the severely disturbed patients of her father's sleep disorder clinic. Mary's life is thrown into jeopardy when one of the patients is revealed to be a serial killer and his nightmare world intertwines with reality."

"Night Mary is the perfect fusion of horror, suspense, and mystery," Dwyer said. "It's an exciting project for me because it allows me to experiment with my art style in every issue. The nightmare sequences are the place in every story where I cut loose."

* J.C. Vaughn and Mark L. Haynes, the writers of IDW's two previous one-shots based on the top-rated Fox TV drama, 24: One Shot and 24 Stories, deliver a new challenge for Jack Bauer with the upcoming 24: Midnight Sun, a 52-page one-shot in July.

This time around, the United Statesıs oil supply is in jeopardy when terrorists threaten to attack an experimental oil drilling installation. Itıs up to Jack Bauer to prevent ecological and economic chaos. Vaughn and Haynes are again joined by Renato Guedes, whose photorealistic style was featured in 24: One Shot.

"If you're a 24 fan -- and who isn't? -- this issue's truly got it all: great writing full of action and suspense, and photo-realistic art that is Renatoıs best work to date," said editor Kris Oprisko. "Plus, we get to see Jack Bauer in an all-new environment -- the frozen wastes of Alaska."

BRIEFLY

* Marvel Comics has released the cover to the first issue of the eight-issue House of M series by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel. The cover is by Esad Ribic. Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

* Platinum Studios has announced the acquisition of exclusive rights to develop worldwide film and television properties based on Hexagon Comics' universe of comic book characters. Platinum is also acquiring a percentage of the company.

Hexagon Comics is France's largest independent library of creator-owned properties. The acquisition will add thousands of stories and 500 characters, including the Strangers, a superhero comic that has recently been reproduced in the United States by Image Comics; Wampus, a shape-shifting alien (banned in the 60ıs by the French government for being too scary); and Kabur, a sword-wielding barbarian in a land of magic.

"This is the first time, literally, that the rights have become available, and I've been following this library of characters for years because of its incredibly rich content," said Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios. "We are very excited about the potential of these characters, and are pleased to provide the original creators with their first opportunity to receive both credits and royalties for their creations."

* To celebrate the second anniversary of Imperium Comics' main title Trailer Park of Terror, the publisher will be offering a convention-only variant cover at this weekend's Pittsburgh Comicon.

The Trailer Park of Terror Color Special #2 Exclusive will feature cover art by Pat Carlucci, and will be limited to 500 copies.

* Archaia Studios Press (ASP) has announce that the film rights to Artesia have been acquired by celophaine, inc., the production company of writer/director Hidetoshi Oneda. A script for an Artesia prequel tentatively titled The Barrow has been completed; the film is in development.

Oneda, an American who has been working as an art and commercial director in Japan for more than a decade, recently finished the short film La Belle Dame Sans Merci, which is making its premiere at the Inspiration Film Festival in Los Angeles.

"I've known Hide for a long time, and we'd always discussed the possibility of working together on film projects," said Mark Smylie, creator of Artesia. "Making a full-fledged adaptation of the first Artesia storyline was always going to pose a logistical and financial challenge, and so Hide and I came up with the idea of a more modestly budgeted 'prequel' as a way of introducing her world and its ethos. The Barrow follows Artesia's brother Stjepan, with whom readers of the comic will be familiar with as an agent for the High King, as he follows a map appearing on a woman's body to the barrow of the Last Worm King."

* Coming Friday: Fantastic Four movie news and much more!!!

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links:

* For Thursday, April 13, including Fantastic Four movie news, CLICK HERE.